DUMOULIN Tom

Type of rider
Time-trialist, Climber (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Jul 2016)

General
COMPETITIVE BREAK AND COMEBACK
In January 2021 he announced that he would be taking a break from competitive cycling. "I really need some time to think. For too long I've cared about what everyone thinks. I've found [the pressure] more difficult than expected. You ask yourself, 'What do you want? Do you still want to be a cyclist?' Now I have the feeling that I don't know anymore what to do. [Stopping] feels really good, as if a backpack of 100 kilos has slipped off my shoulders." In June 2021 he made his return to competition at the Tour de Suisse. "It's great to be back. It felt very good to race. I came to Switzerland without expectations. I just hope to improve here in the coming weeks and build a good base. I still have plenty of steps to take in the coming time. The problem of the last three years was that I lost the pleasure in my job and the race. I had forgotten what I liked and didn't like. Now I know that again. That period without racing was very instructive for me. I know again what kind of rider Tom Dumoulin is." (cyclingnews.com, 07 Jun 2021; cyclingnews.com, 06 Jun 2021; bbc.co.uk, 13 May 2021, 23 Jan 2021)